Hyundai Elantra Fluidic registers 750 pre-launch bookings

It was the morning of 13th August, 2012 that witnessed the launch of the 2012 North American Car of the Year, Hyundai Elantra Fluidic in New Delhi. The sedan had already cataloged 750 confirmed bookings for itself even before it was launched.

With ridiculously insane price tag starting atRs. 12.51 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi, for petrol) and Rs. 12.91 lakh (ex-showroom, New Delhi, for diesel), the automaker launched the saloon into the Indian market yesterday. The well before launch booking-count certainly points towards the degree of appeal of the sedan amongst the sedan enthusiasts. The saloon demonstrates a stunning adaptation of the Fluidic design philosophy and has the potential to lead in its segment and is being anticipated to compete with mid-size saloons like Toyota Corolla and even Chevrolet Cruze.

It’s been five years that the automaker launched something in the premium sedan segment. Now after such a long-span, it has re-entered the segment with the i40-badged Elantra Fluidic. Under the hood, the petrol avatar is powered by a four-cylinder 1,797cc motor, while the diesel avatar features a 1,582ccCRDi engine. Both the variants offer a choice of manual or automatic transmission. As far as the output delivery and the torque produced are concerned, the petrol engine churns out a power of 149.5PS @6,500 rpm and a 181Nm of torque @ 4700 rpm, while the diesel powerhouse is capable of producing 128PS @4000 rpm at 265Nm of torque between 1,900-2,750 rpm. Fuel economy too is quite appreciable. The petrol avatar offers a mileage of 16kmpl, while the same for the diesel variant is 22kmpl.

With the festive season on the brink, car sales, which sank to 7% in the first four months of the fiscal, are being expected to accelerate. Director General of Society of Indian Automobile Association (SIAM), Vishnu Mathur stated that festival period has historically changed the entire market mood from gloom to boom. He further added that with interest rates softening and some aggressive pricing on new products, customers who have been holding back their purchase decisions, may get back into the market and revive demand.